Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke says, along with New York Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks, she has led 56 of their colleagues in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to continue immediate humanitarian and recovery assistance to Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.
- Advertisement -
Meeks represents the 5th Congressional District in Queens, New York.
“We write to express our deep concern and solidarity with the people of Jamaica following the catastrophic passage of Hurricane Melissa,” the letter says. “We welcome the deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team and respectfully urge the Department of State to continue immediate humanitarian and recovery assistance to support Jamaica’s response to this unprecedented disaster.”
The Congressional leaders noted that Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on October 28, as a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds near 185 mph (295 km/h) – “one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit Jamaica in its history.”
The storm brought up to 40 inches (100 cm) of rain in some areas and a storm surge reaching 9 to 13 feet (2.7 – 4 m) along portions of the southern coast.
The US legislators said entire communities in parishes such as St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, and Clarendon were submerged, with widespread flooding, landslides, and wind destruction reported.
The legislators also said initial estimates suggest billions of dollars in infrastructure and economic losses, particularly in tourism and agriculture, “two pillars of Jamaica’s economy.” (CMC)
